Body contact-type warmer using heat pipe

ABSTRACT

The objective of the present invention is to provide a body contact-type warmer using a heat pipe, the warmer comprising: a heating part, which includes a body having a heat preserving material-filled space, and heat transfer protrusions formed at both sides of the body; a heat pipe embedded in the heating part and having a heater; caps for holding the heat pipe and blocking both ends of the heating part; a pair of heating plate fixing parts having heat transfer protrusions which come in close contact with the heat transfer protrusions of the heating part so as to transfer heat and, simultaneously, are used as connection means; and a heating plate put on the upper ends of the heating part and the heating plate fixing parts. The present invention can provide the body contact-type warmer having effects of: reducing energy and costs by using only one heat pipe; and being easily manufactured and having a simple structure since the heating part is aligned at the center thereof so as to enable heat of the heat pipe to be quickly and continuously transferred, and the heating plate fixing parts capable of heat transfer to the heating part and, simultaneously, being capable of fixing the heating plate are connected to both sides of the heating part so as to enable the heating plate to be heated, and thus the present invention is very useful.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a body contact-type warmer using a heatpipe, and more particularly, to a body contact-type warmer providedtherein with a heat pipe as a heat source to heat a heating plate so asto warm a body part such as a foot or abdomen.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, stoves and heating equipment are essential tools for warminga space in the low-temperature seasons such as winter.

However, a person who puts a body around a lower portion of a desk orhas hands and feet easily getting cold even when an indoor room isheated, or a person who wants to keep an abdomen warm may need anadditional heating device.

To this end, a pocket warmer (a hand warmer) as a portable warmer hasbeen developed and used especially for the purpose of warming hands.Since the conventional portable warmer uses physical/chemical propertiesof a material, there is a limit to warm a specific part of the body dueto low thermal efficiency, and there is a limit to effectively apply thewarmer onto a portion required to be heated, such as feet that easilyloses heat thereby causing a user to feel cold or an abdomen beneficialto health when the portion is heated. In addition, the conventionalportable warmer has difficulty to use continuously due to inconvenienceof a temperature control.

To improve the above problems, Korean Utility Model Registration No.20-0341341 discloses the conventional body contact-type warmerconfigured to form a foot insertion hole into which a foot is insertedto warm a foot portion, and provide an acupressure concavo-convex on anouter side thereof to press the foot and warm the foot using heatconducted to the outer side.

However, the above-described body contact-type warmer uses an electricheater, electromagnetic waves generate and a risk of fire is high, andthere is a limit to increase thermal efficiency. Thus, a warmer, for abody part, having high thermal efficiency and preventing the risk ofelectromagnetic waves or fire is highly required to be developed.

As shown in FIG. 1, in order to solve the above problem, Korean PatentApplication Publication No. 10-2011-0050892 discloses a bodycontact-type warmer using a heat pipe including a main pipe 22, anelectric heater 24, and a plurality of heat pipes 26, in which the mainpipe 22 has an inner space 222 formed in the longitudinal direction, andthe heat pipes 26 communicate with the inner space 222 of the main pipe22.

However, since the above-described small warmer uses a plurality of heatpipes, there are excessive energy wasting factors. In addition, aplurality of heat pipes which are expensive cause an increase ofmanufacturing costs.

DOCUMENT OF CONVENTIONAL ART

1. Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2011-0050892

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

An object to solve the above problems in the related art is to provide abody contact-type warmer for warming a body part such as a foot orabdomen by providing sufficient heat to a heating plate despite one heatpipe.

Technical Solution

According to embodiments of the present invention for achieving theabove object, the warmer includes: a heating part having a body formedtherein with a heat preserving material-filled space and heat transferprotrusions formed at both sides of the body; a heat pipe accommodatedin the heating part and having a heater; caps for holding the heat pipeand blocking both ends of the heating part; a pair of heating platefixing parts having heat transfer protrusions coming into close contactwith the heat transfer protrusions of the heating part to transfer heatand serve as a connection mechanism; and a heating plate put on upperends of the heating part and the heating plate fixing parts.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the warmer further mayinclude: a pair of covers that cover both sides of the heating part, theheating plate fixing parts, and the heating plate, in which the coversare configured to install a switch for adjusting a temperature of theheater and turning on/off a power supply and a control panel.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a separation preventingstep may be formed at an upper outer edge of the heating plate fixingpart such that the heating plate is prevented from being separated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the warmer may include:a locking step and a locking protrusion, which are correspondinglyfitted to each other, may be formed at the heat transfer protrusion ofthe heating part and the heat transfer protrusion of the heating platefixing part, respectively.

In another embodiment of the present invention, heat pipe mounting stepsmay be formed in the caps, in which the heat pipe mounting step formedin one of the caps is positioned lower and the heat pipe mounting stepformed in the other cap is positioned higher, so that the heat pipe maybe installed to be inclined in the heating part.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

As described above, according to the present invention, only one heatpipe is used such that energy savings and cost savings can beimplemented. In addition, the heating part may be arranged at a centerof the warmer to transfer the heat of the heat pipe quickly andcontinuously, and the heating plate fixing parts, which transfer theheat with the heating part and fix the heating plate, to the both sidesof the heating part to heat the heating plate, so that the bodycontact-type warmer can have a simple structure and be easilymanufactured.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional body contact-type warmerusing a heat pipe.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a body contact-type warmerusing a heat pipe according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembled state of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line W-W of FIG. 3.

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilledin the art may easily carry out the present invention. However, theinvention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limitedto the embodiments described herein. The terms used herein are merelyfor reference to specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit theinvention. Further, the singular forms include plural forms unlessopposite meanings are clearly indicated. The term “comprise” or“include” used herein specifies a specific feature, region, integer,step, action, element and/or component, and is not intended to excludethe presence or addition of other specific features, region, integer,step, action, element, component and/or group. Although not defineddifferently, all terms used herein including technical or scientificterms have the same meaning as commonly understood by those havingordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in generally useddictionaries should be interpreted to have the meaning consistent withthe meaning in the context of the related art and the descriptionsherein, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or formal meaningunless otherwise defined.

Embodiments of the invention described with reference to a perspectiveview specifically illustrate an ideal embodiment of the invention. As aresult, various modifications of the design, for example, modificationsof manufacturing methods and/or specifications, are expected. Therefore,the embodiments are not limited to any specific form of a region shownherein, and also include, for example, deformations or transformationsby manufacture. For example, a region shown or described as being flatmay have properties that are generally rough or rough and nonlinear. Inaddition, a portion shown as having a sharp angle may be rounded.Therefore, the region shown in the drawings is merely an approximateone, and is not intended to depict the exact form of the region ornarrow the scope of the invention.

Hereinafter, a body contact-type warmer using a heat pipe according topreferred embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a body contact-type warmerusing a heat pipe according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is aperspective view of an assembled state of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectionalview taken along line V-V of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a sectional view takenalong line W-W of FIG. 3.

First, it shall be noted that same reference numerals may indicate thesame elements or components as possible in the drawings. In addition, inthe following description of the embodiments of the present invention,the detailed description of relevant known functions or configurationswill be omitted not to make the subject matter of the present inventionunclear.

BEST MODE FOR EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A body contact-type warmer 100 using a heat pipe according to theembodiments of the present invention includes: a heating part 110 havinga body 111 formed therein with a heat preserving material-filled space111 a and heat transfer protrusions 112 formed at both sides of the body111; a heat pipe 114 accommodated in the heating part 110 and having aheater 115; caps 113 for holding the heat pipe 114 and blocking bothends of the heating part 110; a pair of heating plate fixing parts 120having heat transfer protrusions 121 coming into close contact with theheat transfer protrusions 112 of the heating part 110 to transfer heatand serve as a connection mechanism; and a heating plate 140 put onupper ends of the heating part 110 and the heating plate fixing parts120.

The heat preserving material-filled space 111 a is filled with variousmaterials for heat preservation, and a heat preserving material A mayinclude red clay powder, volcanic stone powder or the like which hasgood heat preservation and emits far-infrared rays when heated.Accordingly, once the heating part 110 is warmed by the heat preservingmaterial A, the warm state is maintained for a long time.

When the heat preserving material A is not filled in the heating part110, it takes a very long time to heat the heating part 110 using theheat pipe 114, the heat is rarely maintained, and the far-infrared raysbeneficial to a human body are rarely emitted.

The present invention has a structure in which the heat pipe 114 isdisposed across the heat preserving material A so that the heat pipe 114is heated by heat of the heater. Accordingly, when the heat pipe 114 isheated, the heat preserving material A is also heated.

At this time, the heat pipe 114 is required to be inclined to generateheat due to a medium therein, the caps 113 are used such that the heatpipe 114 is inclined in the heating part 110. In other words, heat pipemounting steps 113 a are formed in the pair of caps 113 for closing theboth ends of the heating part 110, respectively, in which the heat pipemounting step 113 a formed in one of the caps 113 is positioned lowerand the heat pipe mounting step 113 a formed in the other cap 113 ispositioned higher, so that the heat pipe 114 may be installed to beinclined. Of course, the heater 115 is installed at a lower end of theheat pipe 114.

The heating plate fixing parts 120 may be provided at sides of theheating part 110 so that heat of the heated heating part 110 may betransferred to the heating plate 140 more quickly. In other words, theheating plate fixing parts 120 are used to widen a surface area suchthat the heat of the heating part 110 is transferred to the heatingplate 140 more widely and quickly.

To this end, the heat transfer protrusions 112 may be formed on bothsides of the heating part 110, and the heat transfer protrusions 121also may be formed on the heating plate fixing parts 120 connected tothe heat transfer protrusions 112 of the heating part 110.

In addition, the heat transfer protrusions 112 are used to transfer theheat of the heating part 110 to the heating plate fixing parts 120 andalso used to connect the heating part 110 to the heating plate fixingparts 120.

Accordingly, a locking protrusion 121 a and a locking protrusion 112 a,which are correspondingly fitted to each other, may be formed at theheat transfer protrusion 112 of the heating part 110 and the heattransfer protrusion 121 of the heating plate fixing part 120,respectively, so as to be fit to each other without using a fastenersuch as a screw. This is a structure that can facilitate convenience forproduction.

A separation preventing step 121 may be formed at an upper outer edge ofthe heating plate fixing part 120 such that the heating plate 140mounted on a top of the heating part 110 and the heating plate fixingparts 120 is prevented from being separated. At this time, theseparation preventing step 121 may be configure to have a concave grooveshape to enable an edge of the heating plate 140 to be fitted into thegroove, such that the heating plate 140 is prevented from beingseparated even when the warmer of the present invention is upside down.

For better appearance, a pair of covers 130 may be coupled to sides ofthe warmer to cover both sides of the heating part 110, both sides ofthe heating plate fixing parts 120, and both sides of the heating plate140. A control panel, which has a temperature controller B forcontrolling a temperature of the heater, a switch C for turning on/off apower source, and a temperature display window (not shown) forindicating the temperature, may be provided in one of the covers 130.

In addition, according to the present invention, a plurality of heatradiation fins 116 may protrude on the side of the heating part 110 tofurther release the heat transferred from the body 111 to the outside.The heat released by the heat dissipation fins 116 may be utilized toheat the heating plate 140 and the heating plate fixing parts 120.

The heating plate 140 of the present invention may be formed of amaterial that emits far-infrared rays, such as red clay powder, slab orthe like, beneficial to the human body, but any material may be used forwarming a part of the human body such as a foot or abdomen.

As described above, the present invention has been described withreference to limited embodiments, but the present invention is notlimited thereto, and it will be apparent that a person having ordinaryskill in the art may carry out various deformations and modificationswithin the scope without departing from the idea of the presentinvention, the following claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   100: body contact-type warmer using a heat pipe of the present    invention-   110: heating part 111: body-   111 a: heat preserving material-filled space 112: heat transfer    protrusion-   113: cap 114: heat pipe-   115: heater 120: heating plate fixing part-   121: heat transfer protrusion 130: cover-   140: heating plate.

1. A body contact-type warmer using a heat pipe, the body contact-typewarmer comprising: a heating part having a body formed therein with aheat preserving material-filled space and heat transfer protrusionsformed at opposite sides of the body; the heat pipe accommodated in theheating part and having a heater; caps for holding the heat pipe andblocking opposite ends of the heating part; a pair of heating platefixing parts having heat transfer protrusions coming into close contactwith the heat transfer protrusions of the heating part to transfer heatand to serve as a connection mechanism; and a heating plate placed onupper ends of the heating part and the heating plate fixing parts. 2.The body contact-type warmer of claim 1, wherein a pair of covers thatcover opposite sides of the heating part, the heating plate fixingparts, and the heating plate, in which the covers are configured toinstall a switch for adjusting a temperature of the heater and turningon/off a power supply and a control panel.
 3. The body contact-typewarmer of claim 1, wherein a separation preventing step is formed at anupper outer edge of the heating plate fixing part such that the heatingplate is prevented from being separated.
 4. The body contact-type warmerof claim 1, wherein the heat transfer protrusion of the heating part andthe heat transfer protrusion of the heating plate fixing part areprovided with a locking step and a locking protrusion, respectively,which are correspondingly fitted to each other.
 5. The body contact-typewarmer of claim 1, wherein heat pipe mounting steps are formed in thecaps, in which the heat pipe mounting step formed in one of the caps ispositioned lower and the heat pipe mounting step formed in another capis positioned higher so that the heat pipe is slantingly installed inthe heating part.